I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

"What is this stuff? It's incredibly salty, and the rice isn't even cooked."

"Are you going to kill Xiao Yan?"

Pei Yuran looked at her, her icy blue eyes turning colder.

"I."

Lin Jinyu put down her spoon, wiped her mouth, and spoke with even more smugness.

"Xiao Yan, stop eating, just eat mine, I have enough for you."

Pei Yuran looked at Gu Yan, her voice still cold but with a hint of stubbornness.

"I'm sorry, I tried many times."

"It should be better than last time."

Gu Yan recalled the breakfast from last time; it did indeed look a bit better than this one.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Pei Yuran had already picked up her chopsticks and taken a piece of fried egg.

He put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then frowned.

Then she lowered her head, and her voice became much softer.

"It doesn't taste good."

Lin Jinyu smiled, a very happy smile, her whole being radiant.

"Just know it doesn't taste good; cooking is something that depends on talent."

She pushed her porridge towards Gu Yan, her tone unusually gentle.

"Xiao Yan, eat more. I'll make more if you're still hungry."

Pei Yuran didn't say anything, but she reached out and pulled the bowl of porridge closer to herself.

She wanted to take it away, not wanting Gu Yan to eat it.

Gu Yan saw it and reached out to press down on the bowl of porridge.

"Leave it there, I haven't finished eating yet."

Pei Yuran looked up at him, her icy blue eyes filled with confusion.

"It doesn't taste good, don't eat it."

Gu Yan looked at her serious face and her heart softened.

"I want to eat what you made."

Pei Yuran froze, staring at him, blinking her eyes repeatedly.

Lin Jinyu's smile froze on her face, and flames ignited in her golden eyes.

"Xiao Yan, what do you mean? You won't eat the delicious food I make, but you insist on eating the awful stuff."

Gu Yan shook her head, picked up a spoon and scooped up a mouthful of the porridge Pei Yuran had made.

"Eat both, eat both portions."

He talked while drinking his porridge, and the salty and bitter porridge tasted like a delicacy.

Lin Jinyu bit her lip and stared at him, her chest heaving violently.

But she didn't get angry; she just pushed the fried egg towards him again.

"Then you should eat more of mine too."

Gu Yan nodded, picked up the fried egg, and took another bite.

He ate both breakfasts, one delicious and one awful.

After finishing his meal, he put down his chopsticks and let out a long sigh.

Lin Jinyu looked at the empty bowl, and the corners of her mouth curled up again.

"Xiao Yan, I'll make it for you again tomorrow."

Pei Yuran looked at him, her voice soft but earnest.

"I'll do it tomorrow too, I'll do a good job."

The two exchanged a glance, and the air crackled with tension once more.

Gu Yan quickly stood up; she couldn't stay any longer.

And we can't eat it tomorrow either.

He couldn't handle eating it all.

"I've finished eating. I need to go find Aunt Youyi to do something."

He turned and left quickly, as if afraid of being stopped.

Lin Jinyu's voice came from behind, filled with dissatisfaction.

"You went to see her again? What do you want with her?"

Pei Yuran didn't speak, but Gu Yan could feel those two gazes fixed on his back.

He quickened his pace, crossed the courtyard, and turned a corner before daring to slow down.

Pei Youyi's courtyard is deep within the Pei family compound; it takes quite a while to get there.

He encountered several servants from the Pei family on the way, who all nodded and greeted him.

When he arrived at the courtyard gate, he knocked on the door.

"Aunt Youyi, it's me."

The door opened quickly, and Pei Youyi stood in the doorway, wearing a light blue long dress.

Her long hair was tied up, revealing her slender neck, and her face was as gentle as a person in a painting.

She saw Gu Yan, smiled, and her eyes curved into a beautiful arc.

"Xiao Yan, what brings you here so early?"

Gu Yan walked into the courtyard and sat down at the stone table.

"Aunt Youyi, I want to learn knife skills."

Pei Youyi paused for a moment, then sat down opposite him.

"Learn swordsmanship? Why do you suddenly want to learn that?"

Gu Yan thought for a moment, then made up an excuse instead of telling the truth.

"I just want to learn something and improve myself."

"I've heard that an old uncle in the Pei family is a very skilled swordsman. I'd like to ask him for his expertise."

Pei Youyi looked at him, her gentle eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

But she didn't ask any more questions, she just nodded.

"The sixth uncle you mentioned, Pei Zhanyue, is known in the family as the Sword Saint."

"When he was young, he was ranked among the top three in the martial arts world of Great Xia. He has retired now, but his skills are still there."

Gu Yan's eyes lit up. Sword Saint, that title sounds impressive.

"Could you ask him to teach me?"

Pei Youyi thought for a moment, then frowned slightly.

"Sixth Uncle has a very strange temper; he hasn't taught anyone who's asked him to teach them all these years."

"Even when Yu Ran wanted to learn swordsmanship, he refused to teach her, saying that the Pei family was a family of sword immortals, so why should she learn swordsmanship?"

Gu Yan's heart sank, but she still didn't want to give up.

"I'd like to try and see if you can take me to meet him."

Pei Youyi looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"Okay, I'll take you there, but don't be discouraged if he doesn't agree."

Gu Yan nodded quickly and stood up to leave.

"Auntie Youyi, can we go now?"

Pei Youyi also stood up, but she didn't move; instead, she coughed lightly twice.

Gu Yan turned to look at her. Pei Youyi was standing there, her ears slightly red.

"Xiao Yan, Auntie made you breakfast too, would you like to try some?"

Gu Yan was stunned, completely dumbfounded.

"Oh? Aunt Youyi, you made breakfast too."

Pei Youyi nodded, turned around and brought out a tray from inside the house.

On the tray were a bowl of porridge, a small dish of side dishes, and two steamed buns.

The porridge was thick and creamy, the side dishes were finely chopped, and the steamed buns were plump and white, making them look very appealing.

She placed it on the table very gently, but her ears turned even redder.

"I just made it on a whim, thinking you might not have eaten this morning."

"I know how good Yu Ran's cooking is, I'm just worried you'll go hungry."

Gu Yan looked at the bowl of porridge, then at Pei Youyi's flushed ears.

He just ate two breakfasts and his stomach is so full.

But Pei Youyi stood before him, her gentle eyes looking at him with a hint of expectation.

He couldn't bring himself to refuse, so he sat down again.

"Okay, I'll try it."

He picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful of porridge, and put it in his mouth; it tasted delicious.

The porridge was cooked just right, with soft and sticky rice grains and a perfect balance of saltiness.

"Delicious! Aunt Youyi's cooking is really good."

Pei Youyi smiled, a gentle smile, but her ears turned even redder.

"Eat more if it's delicious, don't waste it."

She sat down opposite him, her hands folded on her knees, her back ramrod straight.

She seemed to be trying to appear calm, but the blush on her cheeks was impossible to hide.

Gu Yan ate bite by bite, her stomach was so full but she still had to pretend that it was delicious.

"Aunt Youyi, when did you do this? I didn't know."

Pei Youyi shifted her gaze to the flowers in the courtyard.

"I get up early, I stay up before dawn to work."

"I figured if you came to find me, we could have a meal; if you didn't, then so be it."

She spoke very softly and casually, as if it were just something she did on a whim.

But Gu Yan looked at her reddened ears and slightly trembling eyelashes.

He could only lower his head and continue eating.

He sensed something was off. Could Aunt Pei like him?

He quickly dismissed the idea; Aunt Pei was his elder, what was he thinking?

He ate half a bowl and couldn't eat anymore, so he put down his spoon.

"Auntie Youyi, I'm full. It was really delicious."